Cigarette wrapper cutting machine



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 HR T/HN .l FUSE filed oct. 6

, 1935.l c. H. GIBSON Er Al.

CIGARETTE WRAPPER CUTTINGVMACHINE May 2l W mm. H HH UIIUHHF HHHHHHHHU May 21, 1935- lc. H. GIBSON r-:r AL 2,002,142

CIGKRE''TE WRAPPER CUTTING MACHINE Filed OCT.. 6, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,lW/Tig. J.

ELL-wi-T-HIL muy. JMW-.f ATTORNEY.,

May 21, 1935. C. n. GIBSON Er AL 2,002,142

CIGARETTE WRAPPER CUTTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 6, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 '.5 JNVENTORS.

Eff/mss H. E/as aN NGE E. DDwNs May 21, l935-.i l c. H. GIBSON Er AL 2,002,142

'CIGARETTE WRAPPER CUTTING MACHINE Filed oct. e, 1933 5 sheets-sheet 4 INVENToRS.

May 21, 1935. c. H. GIBSON ET Al.

A CIGARETTE WRAPPER CUTTING MACHINE Filed 001,. 6, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Y INVENTORS. UHHRL ssHE'sn/v Rugs/wg E. Daw/vs CHR/SMN J. F'uss BY i ...v-cn M ATTOREX Patented May 2l, 1935 UNITED STATES 1 2,002,142 i Y CIGARETTE" -WRAPPER CUTTIG Charles H. GibsomLaurenceE. Downs, and

Christian-J. Fuse, Richmond, Va., assignors to The American Tobacco Company, New' York, N. Y., a corporation of `New Jerseyl Application October 6, 1933, Serial VNo.69 2,54"2

" 12 anims. (crisi-'sn Our inventicnrelates to means for and method of cutting the wrappers of defective cigarettes whereby the tobacco may be reclaimed and reused at the factories in `making new cigarettes.

In cigarette factories automatic machinery is used formanufacturing cigaretteslin large quansufliciently nlled with tobacco, etc. y Such imperfect cigarettes are not packaged but are reopened and the tobacco used again in the automatic machinery in the production of new cigarettes. It also sometimes happens that the number of imperfect cigarettes is relatively large and a considerable quantity of tobacco is vpresent insuch imperfect cigarettes. The usual manner `or means of reclaiming the tobacco is to rip or cut the paper wrappers and subsequently to separate the paper and the tobacco. Up to the time of my invention, the means or mechanism ,for ripping or cutting the Wrappers has been` such that the shredded tobacco, or an appreciable quantity of it within the cigarettes isalso cut. This is undesirable because the cutting of the tobacco breaks the shreds up into fine particles which are not desirable in the manufacture of perfect 'cigarettes. Therefore, there isa' considerable loss of usable tobacco incurred.k during the ripping or cutting of the imperfect cigarettes.

With the foregoing in mind, the principal general object of my invention, as to structure, resides in the provision of a machine or 'automatic mechanism `for ripping or cutting the wrappers of imperfect cigarettes with the parts so constructed and arranged as to effect the cutting of the wrapper without damaging the-tobacco.

The foregoing object is accomplished by pro'- viding means for placing the cigarettes, and particularly their wrappers,` under tension While feeding them toward cutting blades or implements. The cutting blades or implements are also preferably adjustable relative to the portions of the cigarette wrappers to be cut, so as to provide for cutting only the relatively fine wrapper without destroying any appreciablev amount of the tobacco. f

As to method the invention may be Vstated to reside in placing a longitudinal portion of Athe cigarette wrapper under tension or stress and advancing the so stressed or tensioned cigarette in the direction of its length past and into contact with a cutting edge, such as a rapidly rotate ing or other cutting blade. By placing the wrap.-

per under tension or stress thecuttin'g edge or blade acts more positively ordirectly uponthe paper cigarette wrapper and Without unduly penetrating the tobacco filler of the cigarette, which penetration would result in unduly cutting the ller, and without 'shredding 'or unnecessarily cutting the Wrapper into-small fragments.

All of the vobjects and advantages of the invention -willbe described in detail and-.particularly pointed out during the course of the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings, in which i f Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of a machine embodying the invention with parts brokenaway and looking at the machine in the direction ofthe arrows on line l-'I of Fig. 2-;^ f i Y Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the machine shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a Vsectionalvievv taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l;

` Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional VView takenon the line 4-4 ofY Fig. 3; f

Fig. 5 is a View taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4j

Fig. 6 is a sectional View of a fragment of the cigarette feeding means showing a modification in the cutting blade;

p Fig. 7 is a view taken on Vthe line 'l-l of Fig. 3; l

Fig..8 is a'fragmentary top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 7 with parts broken away; p Fig. 9 is a View taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a view taken on the line I-IU of Fis.. 9;

Fig. l1 is an enlargedfragmentary view illustratng the cutting operation as shown at the arrow ll in Fig. 3;

Fig. 12 is a view taken on the line l2-l2 of Fig. 11,'

Fig.' 13 is a view taken on the line I3-I3 of Fig. 11; and

Fig. 14 is an enlarged 'fragmentary view `of the wiper mechanism for the cigarette' feed grooves Vindicated generally by the arrow I4. in Fig. l. Y

Referring to Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, `the numeral IS designates generally the frame supporting the operative parts of the mechanism including the motors I1 and i8 located at the base of the frame. A shaft I9 is driven bythe motor I8 and has'keyed thereto a sprocket'wheel 20 around which is a trained chain 2|. JA shaft 22 is journaled in suitable bearings, hereinafter described, in the upper portion of the frame, and .has keyed thereto `a sprocket wheel 23 around which the chain 2l is also trained. The

shaft 22 also has keyed thereto, a cigarette feedv drum 24 of considerable diameter and provided on its periphery with regularly spaced grooves or channels 25, the surfaces of which are knurled or roughened to frictionally engage the cigarettes a. A hand wheel 2S is also attached to the shaft 22 so that the machine maybe turned over by hand if desired. At the bottom of the drum 24 across the frame I6 is journaled a shaft 2l connected at one end to a pulley 28 around which and a second pulley 29 on shaft I9 is trained a belt 30. The shaft 21 has keyed thereto at regular intervals, discs 3l, the peripheries of which conform to the shape of the channels within which the edges of the discs 3i are disposed.

The shaft 22 also has keyed thereto a large gear wheel 32 (Figs. 1, 7 and 8) meshing witha small gear wheel 33 which drives the shaft 34 journaled through brackets 35, 35 and carrying of the outlet openings 3l at the bottom of the magazine 38 into which the cigarettes are dumped to be fed to the drum 2d and auxiliary rollers 35. The magazine 38 .has parallel front and back walls and inclined side wallsas shown in Fig. l, the front and back walls being spaced ,apart a distance substantially equal to the length of the cigarettes. Feed rollers-39 in the bottom of the magazine are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the circumference of each cigarette, so that the cigarettes may gravitate or fall through the spaces between the rollers. Referring to Fig. 3, each of the feed rollers 39 is carried by a shaft iii journaled through a bearing 4l fand connected at their outer ends to gear wheels 42. A toothed rack i3 is in mesh with each of the gears i2 and is connected to one end of a link dfi, (Fig. 7), the other end of which is connected to a bell crank lever 45 pivotally mounted at 46 on a bracket at the top of the frame. The vother end of the -bell crank lever is pivotally connected at ily to a rod 48 slidably mounted through'a guide 49 on the frame and connected to a cam yoke 59, which is reciprocated by a roller 52 engaged by a cam 5i on theshaft 52 journaled through bearing 53 and carrying the gear 54 which meshes with a gear 55 mounted on'and driven-by the shaft 22, which shaft drives the feed drum and, as shown in Fig. 7, is journaled in bearings indicated generally b-y the numeral 56.

From the description of the parts thus far given and by reference particularly to Figs. 1, 3, '7 and 8, it will be seen that when the motor i8 rotates shaft i9, the sprocket 2D land chain 2| rotate sprocket 23 to rotate shaft 22 and consequently the main feed drum 24. At the same time the gear wheel 32 rotates gear 33 and shaft 34 and consequently the auxiliary feed roller S6. Furthermore, it will be noted that the auxiliary feed roller 36 is also grooved and has its grooves alined with those in the main feed roller, so 'that there are spaces @il between the feed drum `and auxiliary feed roller adjacent the opening 31 in -the bottom of the magazine, through which the cigarettes are moved. It should also be understood vthat rotation of the shaft 22 causes reciprocation of the cam yoke 5l) and rod 48 tofoscillate the bell crank t5 on its pivot 4E reciprocating link M and rack bar 43, -so that the agitator feed rollers 39 `are rotated to agitate thecigarettes within the magazine to cause-them to drop down through the spaces between :the agitator feedrollers, .Whichspacesare in aline? ment with each of the grooves in the feed drum and auxiliary feed roller. Furthermore, as shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5, there are guide plates 6i beneath each of the agitator feed rollers across the magazine and providing channels or Spaces 62 also alined with the grooves in the feed drum and the spaces between the agitator feed rollers and through which the cigarettes drop into the grooves on the feed drum. A feed drum follower plate or cover 55 is secured over an arc of the surface of the feed drum and is provided in its lower end with slots 62 (Fig. 12) in alinement with the approximate centers of the grooves in the feed drum. The plate 65 is curved and provides in connection with the grooves in the feed drum a channel between the auxiliary feed roller 3l and the slitting device o1' rotary cutter about to be described which operates at the lower end of the plate 65. The cutters or slitting devices comprise, in the preferred form of the invention, circular blades shown in detail in Figs. 1l and 12 and designated generally by the numeral "iii, each being provided with a plurality of notches li providing a plurality of cutting sections, each having a knife edge. These annular blades are lclamped between discs 'i2 which are mounted on the shaft 73, Figs. 1 and 2, journaled in bearings lli. A protective cover C for the cutters is hingedly connected to the frame at H. The shaft 73 is keyed'to a pulley "i5 varound which is trained a belt 'i6V also trained around a pulley Tl' driven by shaft, 'i8 from motor il. A take-up i9 is mounted on the frame to engage the belt and tighten it Vwhen necessary.

Each of the blades l0 operates through a slit 66 in the follower plate 65 projecting very slightly into the channel through which the cigarettes run, so as to engage the paper wrapper and sever the same without injuring the tobacco and without shredding the paper for reasons hereinafter explained. The bearings 'lli are carried by block or plate 8i), on the outer ends of which are up standing screw threaded ears 8l. Brackets 82 on the frame have a threaded boss 83 through which and ears Bi .is mounted an adjusting screw 82 which Acan be turned to move the plate 863, bearing 74, shaft 22 and parts carried thereby toward Iand away from the drum .2&3 to afford adjustment -of the cutting edges of the knives relative to the cigarettes. Of course, the takeup l@ can be adjusted with respect to the bell crank to the position of the pulley 'i5 which moves with the shaft 22 during said adjustment of the cutting knives.

.Other details which have not been hereinbefore described are shown in Figs. 9 and 10, wherein `the rack bar 63 `has guided movement in channels 86 with their'upper edges in engagement with rollers 3l rotatably carried by the plates 28 which contain the channels 86. Also, as shown in Fig. l, the lower part of the magazine or hopper is provided with a door B having a glass window, the door being mounted on a hinge 9i on one of the Alower side walls of .the hopper and being also provided with a latch 92 so thatV the operation of the cigarette feeding means Within the hopper is visible and .the parts thereof are accessible.

We have previously described generally the operation of the feed drum, auxiliary feed roller and the agitator rollers which effect discharge of the cigarettes into the openings et between the auxiliary Ifeed roller'and main feed drum and consequently along the channel .between the feed drum and the followerplate 65; With the said parts operating as described and thel cigarettes traveling aioundthe drum in the grooves thereof and against the follower plate, they are bentv as shown in. Figs. 3 and 11 so that the wrapper is under tension on the portions of the cigarettes nearest to the knives. With the knives adjusted to contact and sever the paper wrappers as shown in` Fig. ll, the cleanly severed paper and uncut tobacco may be discharged on to conveyor belts or into a hopper where the tobacco is separated from the vpaper and conveyed to the cigarette machines so that the same may be utilized in making new cigarettes. With a relatively great number of grooves in the feed drum, and corresponding `number of discharge openings in the magazine and cutters or knives, a greater quantity of cigarettes may be ripped or cut open and the tobacco reclaimed with less damage to the tobacco than is possible on the machines used prior to my invention. The grooves of the feed drum are kept clean and free from tobacco and paper by the wiper discs 3|, which are rotating within the grooves at a point just beyond that where the cigarettes were ripped or out open by the cutting knives. It is desirable to keep these grooves clean so that the cigarettes may be rmly frictionally held therein while feeding to and through the cutters. l

We have found that with the cigarettes bent, substantially as shown and described, at the time that the wrappers are cut, that the cutting is accomplished more desirably and easily than otherwise, that is, it takes very little projection of the cutting edge into the wrapper to effect severance thereof with the cigarette and portion of the wrapper being bent, because said portion is under tension.

In Fig. 6, the primed numerals indicate the same unprimed parts of the other figures, but the numeral 94 designates a different type of rotary cutter showing the periphery of the knife as being saw-toothed. Of course, the cutter may have a plain or smooth knife edge instead of the ones illustrated, and Fig. 6 is merely to show one of the numerous possible modifications in the type o-f cutter. l v

Regardless of the type of cutting implement employed, it will be noted that the invention broadly provides for distorting the cigarettes, and in the actual embodiment shown and described the distortion takes place transversely in the grooves as well as longitudinally due to the bending of the cigarettes between their ends, (see Figs. 12 and l1), wherein the former shows the cigarettes wedged in the grooves and the latter shows the longitudinal bending of the cigarettes with the portion of the wrapper next to the drum wrinkled and the outer portion taut.

It will be understood that the operation is continuous, the cigarettes being successivelyadvanced in the manner and by the means already described. The invention may be practiced with a single groove and knife as well as with a plurality.

We claim:

l. In apparatus for cutting thev wrappers of cigarettes, a cutter, a rotary member having a guide to receive and advance cigarettes to said cutter, and means adjacent said guide to bend the cigarettes therein to cause the portions of the wrappers to be cut to be under tension when they reach the cutter.

2. In apparatus for cutting the wrappers of cigarettes, a drum provided with circumferential guides to receive' the cigarettes, means to feed the cigarettes into said guides, a cutter alined with each guide, means to rotate the drum whereby the cigarettes are advanced to the cutters, and means to bend the cigarettes and' maintain `them bent when their wrappers are engaged by said cutters.

3. In apparatus for cutting the wrappers of cigarettes, a drum provided with a circumferential groove `to receive .the cigarettes, means to feed the cigarettes into said groove, a cutter alined with said groove, means to rotate. the drum whereby the cigarettes .are advanced to the cutter, and means to bend the cigarettes in said groove and maintain them bent when their wrappers are engaged bysaid cutter.

4. The method of Vslitting the `wrappers on cigarettes, which consists in curving the cigarettes rlongitudinally and advancing the curved cigarettes in the direction of their length with the wrapper in contact with a cutting edge.

5. The method of slitting the wrappers on cigarettes which comprises bending the cigarettes longitudinally to place a portion of the wrappers under tension, and slitting said portion of the wrapper while it is under tension.

6. In apparatus for cutting the wrappers of V to rotate the drum to cause the cigarettes to be advanced in said grooves to the cutters, means in advance of said cutters to cause the cigarettes advancing to the cutters to be bent longitudinally when the wrappers are engaged by said cutters.

7. In apparatus for cutting the wrappers of cigarettes, a drum provided with circumferential grooves to receive the cigarettes, means to feed the cigarettes into said grooves, a rotary cutter alined with each groove, means to compress a portion of the cigarettes in said grooves, and means to rotate the drum whereby the partly compressed cigarettes are advanced past the cutters with the cutters engaging their wrappers.

8. In apparatus for cutting the wrappers of cigarettes, a drum provided with circumferential grcoves, a hopper above the drumadapted to contain the cigarettes, means to discharge the cigarettes from the hopper into the grooves of the drum, means to rotate the drum, means to i bend the cigarettes in said grooves as they are carried by the rotating drum, and cutters arranged to engage the wrappers of the cigarettes as they are carried by the drum and while bent.

9. In apparatus for cutting the wrappers of cigarettes, a drum provided with circumferential grooves, a hopper above the drum adapted to contain the cigarettes, means to discharge the cigarettes from the hopper into the grooves of the drum, means to rotate the drum, means to bend the cigarettes in said grooves as they are carried by the rotating drum, cutters arranged to engage the wrappers of the cigarettes as they are carried by the drum and while bent, and means beyond said cutters to wipe said grooves.

10. In apparatus for cutting the wrappers of cigarettes, a drum provided with circumferential grooves to receive the cigarettes, a hopper above said drum to contain the cigarettes, means within said hopper to agitate the cigarettes and discharge them into the grooves of the drum, means to rotate the drum, means operable by rotation of said drum to operate the agitators, a plurality of rotary cutters each alined with the grooves, and means to partly compress the cigarettes in said grooves 'whereby they are yadvanced to the cutters for engagement of their Wrappers by the cutters.

l1. In apparatus for cutting `the Wrappers of cigarettes, a drum provided With a plurality of circumferential grooves to receive rthe cigarettes, means to feed a succession of cigarettesinto each of the grooves, a plate covering a portion of the surface of the drum and spaced therefrom for engagement by the cigarettes, `means to rotate the drum to carry them under said plate and to effect longitudinal bending of the cigarettes, and a plurality of cutters each alined with a groove adjacent one end of the plate for engagement With the Wrappers of the bent cigarettes.

12. In apparatus for cutting the Wrappers of cigarettes, a drum provided with aplurali'ty of circumferential groovesto receive'the cigarettes, means to feed a succession of cigarettes into each kof the grooves, a plate covering a portion of the surface of the drum and spaced therefromffor engagement'with the cigarettes, means to rotate the drum to carry them under said plate landlto effect longitudinal bending of the cigarettes, said plate having a plurality of slits in its `end remote from said iirst means, and a plurality of cutters one arranged n each slit for `engagement With the Wrappers of the bent cigarettes.

CHARLES, H. GIBSON.

LAURENCE E. DOWNS.

CHRISTIAN J. FUSE. 

